Most comic book movies arrive at your multiplex with a stacked deck: no matter how chintzy or uninspired the movie may be, there's inevitably bound to be a built-in and rather enthusiastic fanbase to fill the opening weekend coffers. Fortunately we currently seem to be living in an age of high-profile superhero flicks, but what chance does a movie have if its based on a comic book...that most people have never even read?

Hellboy is a fairly 'new' superhero; he doesn't have the universal respect and admiration of a Superman or a Spider-Man. He's the creation of one Mike Mignola, and anyone who's read at least one Hellboy comic book (or 'graphic novel' if you prefer) will generally describe the hero as "just plain cool". While most of the classic superheroes are bathed in shades of boy-scout-honor, Hellboy is a wise-ass; he's a demon from another dimension who battles armies of Lovecraftian monstrosities for the safety of humanity due to one simple reason: he likes people.

First off and most important: Guillermo del Toro's supremely entertaining Hellboy adaptation will have fans of the source materials grinning contentedly as they cheer from their seats. Rare is the comic book adaptation that treats its irreverent inspiration with such obvious respect. Any five frames of Hellboy chosen at random are evidence of a crew of filmmakers working with love for their source material forefront in their minds.

The big question is... Will Hellboy be able to expand its audience beyond those who already adore Mignola's books? I certainly hope so, because (whether or not you've read the comics or not) Hellboy is a high-end, big-budget, mega-crazy and altogether FUN piece of superhero insanity. Walk in expecting $60 million worth of a hyperactive 12-year-old's fondest cinematic dreams, and you're halfway to understanding the great, goofy goodness that del Toro has concocted.

The movie version of Hellboy was paved with admirable decisions. Sony hired the one guy in Hollywood who'd have killed to give Hellboy life, and they gave him enough money to do it HIS way, especially when you consider how many times the question "Who's Hellboy, exactly?" must have popped up in pre-production. Sony also allowed the director to cast the only actor he ever wanted for the lead role, so the fact that Ron Perlman is all but FLAWLESS as Hellboy is a pat on the back to everyone involved: Perlman for his devilishly entertaining performance, del Toro for insisting that a well admired, yet hardly 'bankable', character actor anchor his expensive new toy, and the Sony folks for backing such a potentially dicey decision.

The plot covers your essential "meet the hero, meet the villains" scenario, only as filtered through the darkly playful eye of del Toro (the fanboy favorite behind movies like Cronos, The Devil's Backbone and Blade 2) and presented with equal parts heart, soul, wit and over-the-top action insanity. The actual plot is X-Men meets H.P. Lovecraft meets Indiana Jones, in which a Top Secret FBI Agency of SuperFreaks battle against the evil Rasputin, his undead Nazis, and a collection of horrific monsters from another dimension. The English Patient it ain't.

Forget all that Comic Book stuff for a second; were Hellboy based on an original screenplay, the simple fact would remain: this movie is an astoundingly colorful and exceedingly entertaining showcase of Demonic Superheroes vs. Slimy Monsters. It's packed to the gills with flashy heroes, evil beasties, amazing action, tight scrapes, stunning set-pieces and CGI displays that actually serve the story. Hellboy has a great sense of humor, it's lush and detailed and gorgeous to look at, the plot moves at a breezy clip, and the affair as a whole possesses a giddy "Get a load of THIS!" sort of charm that quickly becomes infectious.

This is a flick made for the wide-eyed 12-year-old movie nut in everyone.